converting tanks

[hargi22]

hi,
Very shortly im going to chaniging from tropicals to lake malawi cichlids(SP).
How should i go about this?
Currenlty my tank has got a few tropicals in with one aquaflow 4 filter in. It also has plants and gravel in.
I know that the plants have to go else they will just be ripped up, but i also want to change to sand instead of gravel. i was also thinking about getting an extra filter jus tbecosue they have to be over stocked.
What do i do with the water and cycling?
Should i start from scratch? or can i use the water thats in and just do a partial change or what?
any help would be greatful
matt
if this is in the wrong section mods please move it

 

[yvez9]

You can keep the water and just do regular water changes

the waterchemistry wo't change that much unless you add buffers like crushed coral sand to raise the pH

otherwise, juste scoop out the fish and figure what you'll do with them, take out the gravel and put sand in

add lotsa rocks and add fish already (within a few hours of removing the other ones) otherwise you will loose your biological media in your filter

also buy a big filter (i recommended canister or fluidized) to help biological filtration

 

[hargi22]

so if i add crushed coral and some chemicals to make the ph right i can use the same water just doing a partial change?
would u have one big filter, or the one i have and another?

 

[modernhamlet]

so if i add crushed coral and some chemicals to make the ph right i can use the same water just doing a partial change?
would u have one big filter, or the one i have and another?

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It'll be hard to get the gravel out and the sand in without a huge mess if you leave water in the tank. I'd just run the filter on a bucket full of tankwater, empty the tank, get the (cleaned) sand and rocks in there, and refill it with dechlored water.

How big is your tank? Chances are, another filter will definitely be needed.

Do you have a bunch of rocks to put in there to make caves?

 

[hargi22]

so, doing that would i add the fish straight away after the contents have settled?

my tank is 30g 3foot which i know is the minimum for cichlids,
im going to get some rocks what do u sugest and how many ?
thanks

It'll be hard to get the gravel out and the sand in without a huge mess if you leave water in the tank. I'd just run the filter on a bucket full of tankwater, empty the tank, get the (cleaned) sand and rocks in there, and refill it with dechlored water.

How big is your tank? Chances are, another filter will definitely be needed.

Do you have a bunch of rocks to put in there to make caves?

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[modernhamlet]

so, doing that would i add the fish straight away after the contents have settled?

my tank is 30g 3foot which i know is the minimum for cichlids,
im going to get some rocks what do u sugest and how many ?
thanks

Assuming you had a full bio-load just before making the changes and you keep the filter wet and running, yes.

That's a tough set of logistics though... removing one set of fish, getting them where they need to be, emptying the tank, setting it back up with sand and all those rocks without getting it too cloudy (clean the sand really really well), getting the new inhabitants, and acclimating them.

Basically, have a plan and err on the side of caution. I'd honestly suggest you let the new tank settle for a couple of days before getting the new stock. Just add 1-2 ppm of ammonia each day to keep the filter cycled.

As far as the rocks... I give you The-Wolf's awesome rock FAQ: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=55806

I have 250+lbs of granite in my tank. In general, the more caves the better.

What are you going to stock?

 

[hargi22]

dunno i like (Psuedotropheus sp. "Acei") http/www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Di...cfm?pCatId=1829
but i dont know how common they are or if i can get them.
theres some in our LFS that i havnt done my reasearch on as yet, but i will before i buy. though they seam happy enough in a tank togeter there and in a display tank.
theres some blue ones with like bars on and some orange ones that my gf likes there only about 1 inch( will they get more colourfull as they get bigger?)
how big shold the caves be?